It probably should’ve taken Bax and Bea a lot longer to get home, but thirty minutes later, their truck skidded to a stop in front of the house.Bax’s door sounded like it might fall completely off the frame when he slammed it shut.And I heard Bea pleading with him to “stay calm” before the screen door clacked against the wall when he threw it open.
“Stuey.”His eyes zeroed in on Stu, and he swept across the room, lifted Stu straight out of his chair, and hugged him so hard, I didn’t think Stu could get a full breath.
“Daddy?I thought I wouldn’t see you till tomorrow.Where’s Athena?”
“She’s still at the fairgrounds.Shaylene’s mama will drive her home later.Are you okay, buddy?You’re not upset?”
“No.Why?”Stu pulled away and patted Bax’s cheek.“I’m okay, Daddy.How’d Athena and Tulsa do?I can’t wait to see ’em do the barrels at the rodeo.”
Bax didn’t say anything, and he sat with Stu in his arms, like letting go might be physically impossible.Bea took the chair next to them, and then everyone looked at me, standing in front of their fridge like a deer in headlights.
“I didn’t say a word.I swear.He asked me.”
“Stuey, honey,” Bea said, caressing her hand over Stu’s messy helmet hair, and she smoothed away a streak of dirt on his cheek with her thumb, “how did you find out about Uncle Dixon?”
He shrugged, looking just a little bit guilty.
“Stu, we need to know.”
He sighed.“Sydney’s mama said my daddy was hot.And Mrs.McNamara at school agreed, and she said ‘That Bax Lee sure is one fine cowboy.’”
Bea’s face turned purple.“She saidwhat?”
“That’s what Sydney said, a-and then Sydney’s mama said, ‘No, not Bax.I meant Dixon.He’s Stu’s real dad.’”Poor Stu looked perplexed, like he couldn’t figure out why his family was so upset about something another five-year-old had said.“Sydney told me at recess.”
Bea looked like she might be ready to murder both women.“Oh my God!I’m callin’ the principal right now.”
“Bea, just wait,” Bax said.He pulled Stu’s face back to his.“What else did you hear?”
“Well, after dinner the other night, when Avery came over?”Bax nodded.“That night, you were readin’ me my book before bed, Mama.’Member?But I had to potty, and on my way back, I heard daddy talkin’ on his phone in your bedroom.You were talkin’ to Uncle Rye, Daddy, and you said Uncle Dixon’s name, and then you said, ‘He better not try to take Stu away from us.’And then you said, ‘Oh, shut up, Rye.God, your sunshiny dispolition pisses me off.”
Bea corrected him before she realized what she was correcting or that he’d cussed.“Disposition.”
Stu nodded.“That’s what I said.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you the truth,” Bax said.“Grown-ups always say stuff like this, but we really were tryin’ to protect you.”
“It’s not right to lie, Daddy.You told me that.”
“No, you’re right.It’s not okay to lie.It’s also not very nice to eavesdrop.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means listenin’ to people when they’re havin’ a private conversation.”
“Oh.”Stu looked at the floor.“Am I in trouble?”
Bax and Bea shook their heads.“No, Stuey,” Bea said, “you’re not in trouble, but do you have any questions about what you and Dixon talked about?What did he tell you?”
Stu looked at the ceiling and tapped his index finger against his chin, and I tried not to laugh, but he was just so damn cute that I had to fight it hard.
“He said that he was there when I was born.Did you know I was born in California?And he said he was sick and couldn’t take care of me so he brought me to you so I wouldn’t get the chicken pox.”
“Um, Stu,” I hedged.“That’s not exactly what I said.”
“Oh, and he said my real mama’s name is Kel and that she’s in Heaven with Pawpaw and Duo.Isn’t that nice, Daddy?They’ll never be lonely.”
Bax was speechless.He looked from Stu to Bea and back at Stu.“That’s a nice way to think about it.”Reaching for Bea’s hand, they held onto each other, and in that moment, I missed AJ so much that I physically ached for her.
